701.0010/126: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)
1149. American interests—Germany. Your 1868, May 2 and 1870, May 3.93
1. Entire German official group is being repatriated on first voyage with exception of sick as agreed to by Thomsen94 so there is no occasion for Counselor Resenberg to be left behind.
2. Department, which understood that entire repatriation of American and German officials and non-officials should be considered a [Page 366] single movement, had the intention from the beginning that all voyages of the Drottningholm should have same status of diplomatic transport as first voyage. It is not understood why this is viewed by German Government as a new proposal. Confirmation is desired that German Government considers all voyages of the vessel to have equal status.
3. While German Government may wish to reject statement of American Government that living conditions for American exchange group at Bad Nauheim are difficult American Government does not perceive validity of such rejection in view of fact that there has been uniform loss of weight exceeding 10 pounds per person among American group. German group at White Sulphur has no such complaint.
4. Portuguese Government is being requested by United States Government to extend its guarantee for exchange on Portuguese territory to cover categories of persons within the various exchange groups.
5. It is noted that German Government will grant to nationals of other American Republics who wish to be repatriated and whose Governments permit the repatriation of German nationals the same facilities as those accorded nationals of the United States.
6. It is noted that German Government is prepared to accord returning nationals of the United States and other American Republics reciprocally same facilities for transportation of their effects as those accorded Germans being repatriated.
United States Government is permitting German nationals leaving United States to take with them normal amount of baggage allowed on vessels plying between Lisbon and New York as prescribed by conference rules. Those German nationals received from other American Republics are being permitted to take with them the effects which they brought from those Republics with permission of local authorities.
7. Through error there were collected from certain non-official Germans arriving on S. S. Acadia customs duties on certain of their personal effects. As soon as detailed reports on this matter are at hand necessary steps will be taken to obtain remission of these collections and the amount of these collections will be refunded to Swiss Legation in charge of German interests.
8. It is noted that German Government guarantees that Drottningholm on its several voyages will not be held up or examined by German naval forces or naval forces of countries allied with Germany. United States Government gives similar guarantee for its own part and for its associates.